File photo of the Bengaluru Central Prison.The case came to light in May this year after the Superintendent (in-charge) of Central Prison lodged a complaint following the discovery that the release order submitted in the name of convict Shankar A Aradhya was fake. The Parappana Agrahara police subsequently registered a case against Aradhya for forgery, cheating and other offences under the Indian Penal Code.
According to the complaint, Aradhya had been serving a life sentence in a 2001 kidnapping-for-ransom case registered by the Chickpet police. He was convicted by the Fast Track Court-I and sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 on July 12, 2004. His appeals before the Karnataka High Court and later the Supreme Court were unsuccessful, with the sentence being upheld.